Latest news with #Sakhnini
Express Tribune
24-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Discord appoints Humam Sakhnini as CEO amid IPO preparation and gaming strategy shift
Discord has named Humam Sakhnini, former Vice Chairman of Activision Blizzard, as its new CEO, the company announced on April 23. The leadership transition comes as the platform is reportedly preparing for a potential initial public offering. Sakhnini, who also previously led mobile gaming company King—maker of Candy Crush—brings significant experience from the gaming industry. His appointment reflects Discord's strategic shift back to its gaming roots, a move the company emphasised in its official press release. Originally popular among gamers, Discord has grown into a full-fledged social platform with over 200 million monthly active users—a scale that now drives its push toward monetization. Jason Citron, Discord's co-founder and CEO for the past 13 years, will step down from his executive role but remain involved as a board member and advisor. In a statement to VentureBeat, Citron said he looks forward to a break after years of building the company and hopes to spend time gaming, naming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Blue Prince, and Baldur's Gate III as titles on his list. Discord's recent focus on advertising and micro-transactions as revenue streams has raised eyebrows among its core user base. Given Sakhnini's background in mobile gaming—an industry heavily reliant on such monetization strategies—some longtime Discord users may worry about a shift toward more corporate, profit-driven practices. Citron's connection with TechCrunch dates back to 2013, when he was a finalist at its Startup Battlefield competition. Although his multiplayer iPad game didn't achieve commercial success, it eventually led to the founding of Discord in 2015. Sakhnini's appointment signals Discord's intention to double down on its gaming identity as it prepares for a new era—potentially as a publicly traded company.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
CEO steps down at Discord, the social chat app
Jason Citron , a cofounder of the popular social chat app Discord, stepped down as the company's chief executive on Wednesday, a significant management shake-up ahead of Discord 's potential public offering. The new CEO will be Humam Sakhnini , a 15-year veteran of the video game industry , Citron said in a statement. Sakhnini was previously the vice chair at Activision Blizzard, the gaming publisher behind titles such as Call of Duty and Candy Crush. Discord is in talks to go public as early as this year, and was valued by private investors in 2021 at roughly $15 billion. The app is especially popular among gamers, and has more than 200 million users. Citron will remain on the company's board and be an adviser to Sakhnini, he said in the statement. Sakhnini helped oversee Activision when Microsoft bought it for $69 billion in 2023 and left the company shortly after the acquisition. In an interview with VentureBeat, a gaming publication that reported earlier on the management change, Citron said that he was "more of a builder, an early stage kind of guy," and that "hiring someone like Humam is a step in that direction" of a public offering. Live Events Discord was founded in 2015 by Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy, who had started a video game studio and invented a tool for people to communicate while playing games together. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories The company grew through the years and became especially popular during the pandemic, when interest in video games peaked. In 2021, Discord held talks with Microsoft about an acquisition in the range of $10 billion, though no deal was made. Last year, Citron testified at a congressional hearing about online child safety, where senators grilled him and the chief executives of Meta, TikTok and X about lapses in safety on their social media platforms. Discord primarily makes money from its premium subscription service, but in recent years has expanded its revenue from advertising and so-called microtransactions by people using the app.
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Who is Humam Sakhnini? Meet Discord's new CEO replacing Jason Citron
Jason Citron bid goodbye to Discord after a long stint of 13 years, and now it is Humam Sakhnini, the former Vice Chairman of Activision Blizzard, who will be replacing him. Sakhnini has been at the middle of things around the world of technology for more than a decade and brings along a rich gaming industry experience. Discord was founded by Jason Citron in 2012 and he has continued being the top boss at the company since 2012, alongside Chief Technology Officer Stanislav Vishnevskiy. Now, he will be Citron parting ways with Discord and Sakhnini will be entrusted with guiding Discord towards the next levels in the world of tech and gaming. Activision is known for one of its masterpieces, Call of Duty and its multiple chapters and releases have turned it into a full-blown franchise that is loved by gamers across the world. However, one must know that one of the key people responsible towards Call of Duty's unwavering success through the years is Humam Sakhnini. He is expected to now put all his rich experience and focus on Discord and its focus on the gaming industry. ALSO READ | Saudi fighter jets escort PM Modi's plane to Jeddah in special gesture | Watch During his stint with Activision Blizzard, Humam Sakhnini managed a multi-billion dollar portfolio of blockbuster gaming franchises including the likes of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and even the popular mobile game Candy Crush. Sakhnini was also the President of King Digital Entertainment before his days at Activision. According to Discord's site, Sakhnini is all set to join in as the CEO of the company. Interestingly, the change in Discord's leadership comes right after reports emerging that the company is planning on launching its own initial public offering (IPO). However, these reports have not yet been confirmed from company sources. Meanwhile, departing CEO Citron took to X to share the message to his followers and employees at Discord that he is departing and that Humam Sakhnini will be taking his place instead. He also went on to write, "Building Discord has been one of the most meaningful and rewarding experiences of my life. What started as a simple idea—to help friends talk while playing games—has grown into something far bigger than I ever imagined. Citron continued, I'll be transitioning to a new role as Board Member and Advisor, and continuing to support Discord through this next chapter. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built together—and even more excited for what's ahead."
New York Times
23-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
C.E.O. Steps Down at Discord, the Social Chat App
Jason Citron, a co-founder of the popular social chat app Discord, stepped down as the company's chief executive on Wednesday, a significant management shake-up ahead of Discord's potential public offering. The new chief executive will be Humam Sakhnini, a 15-year veteran of the video game industry, Mr. Citron said in a statement. Mr. Sakhnini was previously the vice chairman at Activision, the gaming publisher behind titles like Call of Duty and Candy Crush. Discord is in talks to go public as early as this year, and was valued by private investors in 2021 at roughly $15 billion. The app is especially popular among gamers, and has over 200 million users. Mr. Citron will remain on the company's board and be an adviser to Mr. Sakhnini, he said in the statement. Mr. Sakhnini helped oversee Activision when Microsoft bought it for $69 billion in 2023 and left the company shortly after the acquisition. In an interview with VentureBeat, a gaming publication that reported earlier on the management change, Mr. Citron said that he was 'more of a builder, an early-stage kind of guy,' and that 'hiring someone like Humam is a step in that direction' of a public offering. Discord was founded in 2015 by Mr. Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy, who had started a video game studio and invented a tool for people to communicate while playing games together. The company grew through the years and became especially popular during the pandemic, when interest in video games peaked. In 2021, Discord held talks with Microsoft about an acquisition in the range of $10 billion, though no deal was made. Last year, Mr. Citron testified at a congressional hearing about online child safety, where senators grilled him and the chief executives of Meta, TikTok and X about lapses in safety on their social media platforms. Discord primarily makes money from its premium subscription service, but in recent years has expanded its revenue from advertising and so-called microtransactions by people using the app.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Discord appoints former Activision Blizzard exec Humam Sakhnini as CEO
Amid rumors that the company is eyeing an IPO, Discord appointed former Activision Blizzard Vice Chairman Humam Sakhnini as CEO. Discord co-founder Jason Citron will leave his CEO role after 13 years at the company. Discord straddles the gaming and social media spaces -- despite its initial emergence as a platform for online multiplayer gamers to communicate, it has become a prominent social media platform in its own right, growing to over 200 million monthly active users. The company's choice to appoint a new CEO from within the gaming industry signals that it sees its future more so in gaming than in social networking. Discord noted in its press release that the company has "refocused on its gaming roots" to explore monetization opportunities in advertising and micro-transactions. But advertising and micro-transactions aren't exactly music to gamers' ears. The appointment of Sakhnini, along with its impending IPO, may make fans wary that the company may move in a more corporate, profit-hungry direction. Sakhnini was also CEO of the Activision Blizzard-owned King, a mobile gaming developer that makes games like Candy Crush, which thrive on ads and micro-transactions. Citron will remain involved with Discord as an advisor to the CEO and a member of the board of directors. Citron looks forward to taking a break after 13 years of running a rapidly-growing startup. He told Venture Beat that he wants to play Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Blue Prince, and Baldur's Gate III.
